Heceta Head Light Station (OR) celebrates 125th anniversary on Saturday, March 30
Perched on a bluff about 13 miles north of Florence, Oregon, Heceta Head Light Station is one of the most photographed on the west coast. It turns 125 years old tomorrow. A celebration will feature live music and refreshments.
The U.S. Coast Guard will kick off the event’s opening ceremony. There will also be docents from Oregon State Parks and from the Heceta Lighthouse Interpretive Center to speak about the area. Members of the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum’s Heritage Players will be dressed in historical period attire.
Click here for more information.
* * *
Nantucket Lightship LV-112 gets a $575,000 grant for maintenance
The U.S. Lightship Museum was recently awarded a $575,000 grant from the Community Preservation Act (CPA)-Boston, for the restoration of Nantucket Lightship LV-112. The grant will allow the historic lightship to enter its next phase of critically needed maintenance.
* * *
Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival (WA) needs more sponsors and volunteers
Washington’s annual Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival is hugely popular; last September’s event drew in excess of 20,000 people to the Mukilteo waterfront. But with dwindling volunteers, board members, and sponsors, the festival ended up $24,000 in the red.
Ideas and corporate sponsors are welcome.
You can read more about this story here.
* * *
It’s migration time for California’s gray whales
Gray whales can reach nearly 50 feet in length, weigh 36 tons and can live up to 70 years. There are more than 25,000 of them and they have been removed from the endangered species list. The peak of the northern migration usually occurs in April. There are beautiful locations throughout California’s Central Coast to view these whales, and some of the best locations are at lighthouses. One of them is the Point San Luis Lighthouse at San Luis Obispo.
Click here for more on this story.
* * *
Upcoming Events
“Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses” talk on April 11
Dianna Higgs Stampfler will present “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses” at the Owosso branch of the Shiawassee District Library at 7 p.m. April 11. Stories from 13 lighthouses are shared in Stampfler’s new book, which will be available for purchase and autographing following her presentation.
Click here for more information
*
Spring Fling for Lighthouse Preservation in Kittery, Maine on April 6
Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, are presenting an event at the Kittery Lions Club on Saturday, April 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m, with entertainment, food, a raffle and silent auction, and more.
Click here for more information
*
U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast “Light Hearted” will premiere June 3
The new USLHS podcast Light Hearted, featuring interviews and all kinds of features related to lighthouses and hosted by lighthouse historian/author Jeremy D’Entremont, will debut on on Monday, June 3. There will be at least one new episode each week. Watch for further updates!
Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org